The League of Villains stops being background noise and starts tearing itself apart from the inside, dragging you into a yakuza underworld that costs characters everything just to survive it. Deku finally meets someone who makes him feel small, and watching him claw his way back up matters because the show has already spent three seasons earning you to his struggle. The animation takes a noticeable hit this season, especially early on, but the emotional gutpunches in the Overhaul arc land hard enough that technical shortcuts fade away by the time you realize who isn't walking out of it.

With All For One gone from the scene, the villain world edges toward war. Tomura Shigaraki and his League of Villains face off against Kai Chisaki, the yakuza figure called Overhaul, as both chase control of the underworld. Fresh from earning his Provisional Hero License, Deku takes an internship under Sir Nighteye, All Might's former sidekick, and works to keep up with his upperclassman Mirio Toogata. The job leads him to Chisaki's syndicate and a young girl named Eri, whose safety drives Deku and Mirio to team up against the villain.